Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has been secretly preparing for a career in Mixed Martial Arts for the past ten years. Reports indicate he could potentially have legendary French football figures supporting him in his corner when he makes his debut.
Evra retired from professional football in 2019, following a highly successful career that included winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League with Manchester United.
Since hanging up his boots, the ex-France international has transitioned into punditry and even participated in reality television, appearing in the Netflix series `Inside` alongside KSI`s YouTube group, The Sidemen.
Perhaps his most surprising post-football venture is signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) to step into the MMA cage. Evra has reportedly been training in kickboxing for the last decade, laying the groundwork for this significant and physically demanding career change.
PFL Managing Director James Frewin commented on Evra`s move, stating, “Patrice has been looking at finding the right place to make his MMA debut for a while since he finished his football career. He`s always wanted to take on a different challenge. He`s always been training behind the scenes for the last ten years in combat, with a focus on kickboxing.”
Frewin added, “And, he`s a busy guy. He`s a very successful entrepreneur. So, he and I were introduced in Dubai, about ten weeks ago, he shared his vision and his passion for this project. And it just so happened we had the right platform. We operate in the right way and we had a date in Paris that made sense which is Friday, May 23rd.”
Evra is known to be a close friend of kickboxing and MMA star Cedric Doumbe, who is expected to assist in the former left-back`s training. Evra is also reportedly considering enlisting the help of iconic French footballers Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane for his corner.
Frewin confirmed the potential high-profile support: “Cedric at the same time reached out and offered Patrice all the support he needs from a training perspective. At this stage, we`re hearing that Cedric Doumbe will corner Patrice Evra on May 23rd.”
“And Patrice even suggested there may be a very famous footballer to walk him out to and gave me two names,” Frewin continued. “It`s yet to be confirmed, but Zidane or Henry might be in the corner as well.”
The 43-year-old Evra has not yet revealed his opponent for the PFL Paris event, scheduled for the Accor Arena. However, he has publicly challenged former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 38, who currently plays for Inter Miami. Evra and Suarez famously had a public feud during their time in the Premier League.
Suarez has reportedly been offered a ringside seat for Evra`s upcoming fight, with initial discussions underway about a potential grudge match between the two in the future.
Frewin commented on the potential match-up: “Luis is an elite athlete. He`s still playing football, he`s not training mixed martial arts, so let`s see. Hopefully he`ll be there in Paris on May 23rd, and then we can take it from there.”
A video discussing Patrice Evra`s MMA debut update and Luis Suarez`s response to the fight challenge was removed as per instructions.
Percy Harlow